#1 CHARACTERS

Pg7
“He saw himself in her eyes, suspended in two shining drops of bright water, himself dark and tiny, in fine detail, the lines about his mouth, everything there, as if her eyes were two miraculous bits of violet amber that might capture and hold him intact.”

Pg 17
Montag moved out through the French windows and crossed the lawn, without even thinking of it. He stood outside the talking house in the shadows, thinking he might even tap on their door and whisper, "Let me come in. I won’t say anything. I just want to listen. What is it you’re saying?”

Pg 61
“… The important thing for you to remember, Montag, is we’re the Happiness Boys, the Dixie Duo, you and I wand the others. We stand against the small tide of those who want to make everyone unhappy with conflicting theory and thought… Hold steady…We depend on you. I don’t think you realize how important you are, we are, to our happy world as it stands now.”

Pg 73
“Why should I read? What for?”

Pg 75
“I don’t talk things, sir. I talk the meaning of things. I sit here and know I’m alive.”

Pg 156-157
"It doesn’t matter what you do, he said, so long as you change something from the way it was before you touched it into something that’s like you after your take your hands away. "

Clarisse is a very special character in this book. Her entrance begins the rising action of the story's plot diagram. Clarisse makes a difference in Guy's life. She plants a new seed in his mind; sparks a light that later turns out to be a big fire. I like her character. She questions everything until she has a personal understanding of the topic. She questions even the things other people just take for granted such as happiness. She takes the risk of thinking about things no one else thinks about and asking the question, "What if..." (a question no one ever asks). One thing she reveals about the universal human experience is that caring matters. Taking the time to be with someone and talk with that person just because it is nice to can have a huge impact on that person. I have to admit, Clarisse is not the typical seventeen year old girl in our world. She picks dandelions and rubs them under her chin. However, she is honest. Clarisse means what she says when she says them, and takes what others say seriously.

Guy Montag is one curious guy. Montag is the protagonist of this book. After working as a fireman for ten years, he suddenly realizes that he cannot burn anymore. His life becomes a confusing mess when he is not sure of what his life means. All his life he knew he was happy. But when one seventeen year old girl asked him the simple question, "Are you happy?" He had trouble answering it. Guy is a very unstable man. By the end of this book, he is begining to understand the world a little bit more. I do not particularly like this character because he is not sure of himself. One of the truths he reveals about life is that it is full of new and challenging beginnings. When something is "new," then that means that there is something that is not new- old. To Montag, "old" is everything- his job, his wife, his house, his boss, etc. Montag's "old" life is burned by an atomic bomb and he starts a new one.

Beatty is the most complicated character in this book. Similar to Montag, I do not think that he is sure of himself either. He burns books because that is the law and is against them, but has them all memorized in his head. Beatty can be seen as the antogonist of the story, although he is not evil. He is special in the way that all his life was dedicated to keeping people free from worry and therefore giving them happiness. Beatty reveals a truth about happiness. He says that people should not compare themselves with others. (Books with different ideas and magazines are some of the reasons people compare themselves with others.)We are all the same. And when we don't compare ourselves to others, we can achieve happiness.

Mildred Montag is Guy Montag's wife. She is not supportive of her husband. Instead, she is the obstacle in Guy's way that constantly drags him backwards. She is the one that calls the fire station and raises the alarm that Guy Montag has books in his house. Mildred Montag is a typical person living in this dystopian world. I do not like her greedy self-centered character. Her character is interesting because she is never satisfied and always goes looking for more but dies in the end. She is an example of a person living a meaningless life.

Faber is an important character in this book because he is Montag's first real friend. He is a coward and cannot courageously stand up for his beliefs. I like how Faber quietly loves books, but he just needs to find the courage to express his feelings despite others' opposing opinions. He shows that life is meant to be expressed. Nobody can stay quiet forever.

Granger is Montag's new friend. He is one of the people who is standing up for his beliefs and doing everything he can to keep them going, watching for the right time to act. I admire him for his individuality and smart, thinking-ahead mind. Granger reveals that there is a right time for everything and that we have only one life we should make the best out of.